Pics of the First Baptist Church of Center facilities

I just wanted to post some photos of some of the rooms from my new work and worship place.


THE SANCTUARY



THE CHOIR ROOM



THE CHAPEL

MY OFFICE

A TIME TO THROW AWAY

A time to search and a time to give up as lost; A time to keep and a time to throw away.  –Ecclesiastes 3:6

Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.  -Hebrews 12:1

Following the “Hall of Faith” (Hebrews chapter 11), the Apostle Paul says that we should remove everything from our lives that weighs us down or might cause us to trip.  A runner would never wear work boots to a race.  No, a runner wears light weight shows that are designed to give the him an optimal performance. 

On December 1^st, moving day from Malakoff, TX to Center, TX, I had a life changing event slap me like a two-by-four to the forehead.  That fateful day, I discovered that 15 years worth of furniture, clothing, books, toys, and keepsakes will more than fill a semi truck trailer.  I confess to you today that I had to return 3 days later with the church’s trailer to retrieve the contents of my storage shed.  Unbelievable!

Ecclesiastes 3:6 says there is a time to keep and a time to throw away.  I recall telling Kim, “This is it!  Things are going to change! We are going to fit our possessions on a semi truck with room to spare the next time the Beechem’s move!”  He took our first load to the Goodwill in Nacogdoches on Saturday.  Yesterday, my pastor showed me a thrift store in Center called The Shelby County Outreach.  Glory hallelujah!  We have no excuses now because we have a local thrift store where we can donate all of our unnecessary things.  I can’t wait to take my first load and many more after that.  This will be very liberating for us.  Who knows, maybe we’ll be able to park our cars in the garage if all goes well!

Listed With Steve Grant Real Estate ( Malakoff / Star Harbor / Cedar Creek Lake )

3 Bedrooms
2 Bathrooms

1,962 Square Feet

Built in 2008

Malakoff ISD

$179,000

To view listing, click link below.
3 Jupiter Road (Star Harbor/Malakoff, TX)

Contact Bev Holipski at 903.681.0477 or to schedule an appointment.

Living Room

Breakfast Nook and Kitchen

Kitchen

Formal Dining Room

Bathroom

Master Bedroom

Master Bathroom

Master Bathroom

Community Center

Golf Course

Boat Launch Privileges to Beautiful Cedar Creek Lake

General Info

Natural stone and Hardy exterior. 1,962 sq ft living area plus patio and 2 car garage. Fenced yard with sprinkler system. Spacious, open living area with wood burning fireplace. Split bedroom floor plan. Access to golf and boat launch privileges.

Kitchen

Kitchen opens to breakfast nook and livingroom and has a great view of the vacant wooded lots where you can cook while you watch the deer graze. Modern appliances include a dishwasher, garbage disposal, ceramic cooktop, and microwave. The kitchen features lots of cabinets and a pantry.

Family/Living Room

Cozy family living area features beautiful stained concrete floors, a full sized wood burning fireplace covered with natural stone with a mirror over the mantle. 8' ceilings with 9' box ceiling featuring a remote controlled ceiling fan.

Dining Room

Dining room opens to the living room and kitchen area. It features a nice chandalier and large window to the front yard.

Bedrooms

Split bedroom floor plan with master suite, shower, garden tub, and large walk-in closet. There is carpet in the master bedroom.

PLUG IN TO THE POWER SOURCE

My pastor, Nathan Lorick, preached a message today from Acts 1:4-14.  The title was “Plugging In to the Power Source”. 

In his introduction he asked, “Has anybody in here ever attempted to disassemble something in an attempt to fix it, only to find out that it wasn’t plugged in to begin with?”

Kim nudged me and whispered, “Like Ami, when she was training Java with that shock collar.”

Ami is married to Kim’s brother, Kevin.  They had adopted a mutt from the dog pound.  They named him Java.  Java grew into a very large animal.  If you have every read the comic strip “Marmaduke”, then you have an idea as to his size.  Java was a much undisciplined canine.  When a guest would visit their house, Java would rear up and wrap his humongous paws around them.  Evan was knocked down many times and had the scratches and bruises to prove it.  One day, the veterinarian gave Java a check up. 

He said, “Java behaves very poorly.  I know one thing for certain. He needs some severe pain inflicted on his rear end!” 

The vet recommended a collar that delivers an electric shock which was administered through a remote control.  Ami had used the device for several days in an attempt to train Java.  One day when we were visiting them, Ami was using it frequently. 

Kevin said, “Ami, it won’t be effective if you use it all of the time.” 

Ami replied, “It’s working Kevin!  Can’t you see how much better he’s acting?” 

“No I can’t”, answered Kevin.  “Let me see the remote.  Maybe the batteries are in wrong.”  Kevin opened the battery compartment.

“Ami, there are no batteries in here!”  Kevin exclaimed.

I believe each of us has a spiritual tank in our inmost parts that can only be filled by the Spirit of God.  In both the Old and New Testaments, we are told that we can’t live by bread alone, but we are to live also on spiritual food, the Word of God.  As a minister, I tend to pour my life into others.  That is a good thing, but if I’m not aware, the devil will blind me into believing that my spiritual tank is being filled in the process of exercising my spiritual gifts through ministry.

Have you ever heard the Jackson Browne song, “Running on Empty”?  If I fail to allow God to pour into my life, I will empty my spiritual tank.  I will run on fumes for a short time until I find myself pushing the car.  That’s as ridiculous as training a dog with a shock collar without batteries.  It’s not very powerful or effective.  The song lyrics read, “Running on empty….running behind.”  I must take time to stop at a service station (quiet time alone with God) to fill up with spiritual fuel.  I must be connected to the power source.  Why wouldn’t I want to be connected to the One who spoke the universe into motion at the sound of His voice?  Why wouldn’t I want to tap into the One who is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent?  Once connected to Him, I can then pour into the lives of others out of the overflow of the Holy Spirit’s work in my life!

A couple of weeks ago, the Lord began to work on my heart.  He seemed to say, “Eric you’re trying too hard.  Trust in me and the power of my holy presence.” 

Let must tell you that I have now relinquished the oars of the ministry to Him and He has fill my sails and set my course straight. 

I can tell you two things that happened within the past week since trusting in His power.

Last Sunday, I locked the church doors and began a conversation with a wonderful couple in the church yard.  We concluded our dialogue; I got in my car, and headed for home.  As soon as I turned onto the highway, I had a strong feeling that the church doors were unlocked.  Something prompted me to realize that several church members had exited from the church door between the time I had locked the door and the time when I got into my car.  I immediately returned to the church.  When I arrived back at the church, I saw a man named Carl trying to enter the door.  It was indeed locked, and he through his arms up in frustration.

I rolled my window down and asked, “Sir, can I help you?”

Carl replied, “Oh, I hope so.  My wife left her purse under her seat in church today!” 

We entered and Carl retrieved his wife’s purse.  I told him that I believed God planted the idea in my head that I had left the church unlocked.  The timing was perfect and nobody can convince me that God was somehow to involved.

On the following Wednesday, I had a strong impulse that I needed to call Zo.  She is a dear choir member who had emailed a week earlier that she was struggling with being in choir.  She felt that she didn’t know enough about music to be of much use.  I called Zo and shared my heart with her.  She is an asset to the group and to the worship service.  Her attitude is great and it is contagious.  She just needed encouragement.  She said that right before I called, she thought she wished she could talk with me because she really wanted to stay involved in choir.  Again, God’s timing was perfect as most would say it probably was not a great idea to let a week go by before talking with her.  I believe Zo needed time for God to prepare her heart for our phone call.

This week God has taught me an incredible lesson of how much more powerful and effective life is when it is lived in step with the Spirit of God.  You don’t have to be vocational minister to apply this lesson.  I believe it can be used in any vocation.  After all, the English word “vocation” has its Latin root “vocare” which means “to call”.  So whatever you do, whether a paid employee, a volunteer, or a retired person, plug in to the power source!

OH, DEER! A LESSON FROM MY RATSCHUND

 As our family was packing the last few items in the van for our trip to Texarkana, our rat terrier/dachshund mix, Eli, darted out of the garage door.  He bolted like a flash toward 6 deer that were grazing in the meadow across the road.  The deer scattered and Eli had his sites on the big buck.  Evan hysterically pursued behind the buck and Eli.  We followed the chase down a trail that leads through the woods to the lake.  Eli was not a bit afraid of the big buck.  Evan and I followed the sound of his high pitch barking and the tinkling of his ID tag on his collar.  We followed the commotion about 100 yards into the woods before we first saw Eli.  He relentlessly tormented the buck.  Twice, Eli scared the buck directly toward us.  I warned Evan that we should always keep a tree trunk between ourselves and the buck.  After about ten minutes, the buck finally escaped my little monster.  Physically exhausted, Eli returned to us.

 

It amazes me that Eli was not a bit afraid of that buck.  He had the buck convinced he was in grave danger when, in truth, the buck could have gored my mutt at any moment.  Why am I not as brave and crazy as Eli?  Why don’t I have that kind of radical faith that I can chase my fears with God strength?  The moral of this story is “it isn’t the size of the dog in the fight that matters, but the size of the fight in the dog.”

LESSONS FROM THE FISHING GUIDE

"Come, follow Me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." -Mark 1:17

I once had the privilege of attending a guided fishing trip. We were fishing for striped bass. This was the first and only time I have used a guide.

Jesus called Simon and Andrew to follow him. He told these two professional fishermen that He would teach them how to catch men. While on the lake, I thought of several lessons.

GO WHERE THE FISH ARE

You might catch some fish by dropping your line in an arbitrary location, but you likely could catch many more by going where they are. Our guide knew where the fish were. Before we arrived, he was listening to other fishermen speak on the CB. He already had an idea of where the fish were. He also used a sonar device to spot the fish. When you find the fish and they don’t bite, then just move on to a new location. That’s what Jesus instructed us to do. If your message isn’t received, just shake the dust off and move on. That’s what our guide did when the fish ignored our bait.

BEAT THE WATER

Striped bass feed in schools. When the school swam away, our guide took an old fishing rod and thrashed it in the water for a minute. This technique mimicked the sound of a school of shad (a favorite food of striped bass) feeding on the surface of the lake. Nearly every time our guide beat the water, you could see schools of striped bass come into view on our fish finder. Churches need to “beat the water” occasionally to attract prospects. Church meals, revivals, fall festivals, block parties, and musicals are great ways to attract people.

CHANGE TECHNIQUES

When the fish stopped hitting on the live bait, our guide didn’t just give up on fishing altogether. No, he started using a technique called “slabbing”. Slabbing involves a lure called a slab. You let the slab drop to the lake bottom and then reel the line as fast as possible. We never change the gospel when sharing with the lost. However, when we are not successful, we need to change techniques to improve the results.

USE A GUIDE

If you are new to a certain type of fishing, it is smart to hire a fishing guide. A guide knows where the fish are and how to catch them. Likewise, you should partner with an experienced evangelist before you go out. She knows where the fish are and knows how to catch them!

The Sin of Stress

I Peter 5:7 says, “Cast your cares upon Him, because He cares for You.” The Greek word for cast is epirrhipto which is “to throw upon”. Could it be that we have replaced the word care with the modern words “anxiety” and “stress”? If so, I would submit to you that we can be in sin when we are stressed. It is the sin of unbelief in God and not obeying the command to let Him carry the load. In Matthew 11:28-30 Jesus instructs the weary and burdened to take His yoke upon them. Why would Jesus instruct a burdened person to stick his neck in a device used to perform difficult labor? The idea is clear to me. A yoke is made to use two oxen as one team. We can throw our stress, worries, and burdens upon the Lord. Then we can place our neck into his yoke. Jesus is on the other side of the yoke. You are on the same team. That is why His yoke is easy and His burden is light.  You are teamed with an omnipotent God!  What a team you can be!  Just stick your neck out!

SPIRITUAL BUT NOT RELIGIOUS

Last week I was web surfing on cnn.com and came across a story of people who call themselves “spiritual, but not religious”. There is a groundswell in the American culture to reject the institution of the church, but not spirituality. This should not come as a surprise. As the pinnacle of God’s creation, we are made to worship. The problem is that our worship can be misplaced and we can find ourselves worshipping the creation instead of the creator. When I was in high school, our marching band took a trip to California. Part of our leisure time involved a stop along the Pacific Coast Highway. The tour bus pulled over so we could take pictures. The view was breathtaking. We were atop a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean at sunset. Over one hundred feet below, a herd of sea lions lay basking on the beach in the winter sun. I only wish I had a video to share of what I witnessed next. A vintage red VW bus parked near us. Out came two hippie ladies. The first was very large. She carried an inadequately braced stool and a conga drum. She sat on the stool at the edge of the cliff facing the sun, and started playing an ostinato rhythm on her drum. I should have offered a prayer that the stool would not succumb to her weight, casting her off the cliff like a lemming.  Next, a lanky brunette came beside her, arms raised while she danced in praise of the sun.

Did that scene seem alien to you? It sure did to me 22 years ago and it still does today. Get ready, because you are going to see much more of this sort of thing. These ladies would probably consider themselves to be spiritual, but not religious. How Oprahesque! A quick Google search of SBNR will lead one to myriad hits. On top of the list is www.sbnr.org . They have their own Facebook page that just started this month (June 2010). They already have nearly 3,000 who have indicated that the “like” the page.

In the bible, Paul states that this would happen in the last days. Paul writes about it in I Timothy 4.  In verse 1, he says some will abandon the faith. Our pastor recently shared that this has nothing to do with salvation, but instead it is a rejection of the institution of the church. Incidentally, the church was established by Jesus. Jesus said to Peter, "You are Rock and on this rock I will build my Church." (Matthew 16: 18). In his letter to Timothy, Paul follows that people will replace (AKA giving to idolatry) the church by following demons, deceitful spirits, and false teachers.

“Spiritual but not religious” dogma allows YOU, not Jesus, to be the author and finisher of your own faith. It sounds enlightened in our culture, but it is actually a completely self-absorbed attitude. Here’s a post from a follower of the SBNR Facebook page.

“I believe all religions have many great things that we can relate to and enjoy.. that is the beauty of it (not limiting yourself to one religion)... it’s like there is a great feast with many tasty foods on the table and you can just walk around and eat a bit of everything and taste anything you want.. so why limit ours...”

Did you notice who many I’s, we’s, selves’, ours’, there are in that quote? There is nothing about worship of God, serving others, or any other ideals the church holds dear. SBNR identification removes any responsibility of following doctrine, established morality, service, giving, scripture, prayer, and spiritual disciplines of any sort because they set their own. How convenient!

I am very troubled by the trend of people leaving the church to pursue their own spiritual path. I have repeatedly heard people piously tell me, “I believe in God. I’m spiritual. I just don’t want to have anything to do with ‘organized religion’.” What’s the alternative? Disorganized religion? I guess so. Whether or not you are a part of a bible believing church, please consider Hebrews 10:24-25.

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another-and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

The Day of Christ’s return is fast approaching. Can you see it? We are to spur one another to love and good deeds. I would say we need a good kick in the pants! It’s hard to either give a kick or receive a kick if we are not meeting together. Don’t be religious in a legalistic sense. Don’t be a Pharisee. Be purely religious.  Anything else is to be like the fat drummer lady on the cliff; a spiritual lemming!

Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world. - James 1:27

The Fellowship of His Sufferings

Read Philippians 3:1-21

We often like to quote the first third of Philippians 3:10, “that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection”. That is the stuff of victory! To intimately “know” Jesus is divine. To experience the dynamite “power of His resurrection” is supernatural. Pastor Dennis Whitmire of First Baptist Church of Nash, Texas said that people tend stop there, because what follows is not so glamorous. The verse continues to say, “and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.” Oh, we really do not want to consider suffering. And being conformed to His dead is certainly an uncomfortable prospect. But that is exactly what Paul said. In preceding verses, Paul warns us to beware of putting our confidence in the flesh. Before He had an encounter on the Damascus road, he had accomplished much. Paul was a Hebrew, followed every minute detail of the law, a Pharisee and the model Pharisee. He considered all of these things as a loss when compared with knowing Christ, sharing in the fellowship of His sufferings, and being conformed to His death.
It is time that we remove a false image of Christ from our minds. If we are honest, we have sanitized who Jesus truly is. He left heaven’s glory, to be born in a smelly manger, served fallen man, suffered unimaginable scorn, ridicule and cruelty at His trial and scourging, and strained for every last breath as he hung, unrecognizable, on a cruel Roman cross.
Before the wonderful fragrance of a perfume can be enjoyed, a rather uncomfortable process must occur.
1. Collection -The plant substances (flowers, grasses, herbs, spices) must be chosen, usually hand picked to make the perfume desired by the perfumer. It is a real art the perfumer performs in selecting the right combinations of substances to make the desired blend. Like the perfumer, God is sovereign and He chooses those He desires to make His chosen fragrance to perfume our world. (I Peter 2:9)
2. Extraction -The perfumer extracts the oils from plants through different processes: steam distillation, solvent extraction, effleurage, maceration, and expression. These processes involved heat, steam, boiling, spinning, dissolving chemicals, and pressing. The result is a more concentrated oil. God does the same in His refining process for his chosen flowers. He places us in difficult circumstances to purify us for His use (Psalm 66:10).
3. Blending –The perfume oils are blended together. The oils and proportions are chosen by a man known as a “nose”. The nose may chose hundreds of oils in one perfume. God places each member of the body into the local church to accomplish His purposes. We are not here by chance or choice. He calls us to the local church. 1 Corinthians 12:12-37…”God has combined the members of the body.”

4. Aging - The great perfume is often aged for years after being blended. After proper aging, a “nose” will test the perfume for the correct aroma. The perfume industry uses musical jargon to describe the quality of perfumes. Perfumes have three notes. “Notes de tete” or top notes have tangy or citrus-like smells. “Notes de coeur” or central or heart notes (flowers like rose and jasmine) give the perfume body. “Notes de fond” or base notes (woody fragrances) give a lasting fragrance. It takes much time for a fine perfume to age and it takes time for the members of a church body to become what God desires. We need all kinds: top notes, heart notes, and base notes to be a fully functioning body. We’d all like to sing the melody, but without the harmony and bass parts, our music would be rather bland!

I love the imagery of the perfume and the refining process involved with that to describe what Paul was speaking of when he said, “that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.

How easy it is to blame our difficulties on the Devil. When you go through trials, consider these two questions. Am I in this situation because of my actions? Could God have placed me in this circumstance so that I can share in the fellowship of His sufferings? God could be refining you to transform you into the image of Christ!

*Information about the manufacture of perfumes was gathered from http://www.enotes.com/how-products-encyclopedia/perfume

Serving Your Adversary

Read John 13:1-15

Our pastor, Nathan Lorick, preached his first sermon in a series called “Unmasking Christianity”. One point was “Jesus is the servant”. The proof text was John 13:1-15 where Jesus washed the disciples’ feet. This occurred before the Passover and Jesus knew His time to die on the cross was at hand. Verse 3 says that Judas would betray Jesus and Jesus knew it. Following the last supper, Jesus prepared to wash the feet of each of his followers. He did this to demonstrate that they were to serve one another. Jesus said, "If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet." For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you.”

As Nathan preached, my mind raced in multiple directions. Jesus showed us that we are to serve. Why am I not serving more? Jesus assumed a lowly posture when he washed the apostles’ feet. Why am I too proud to abase myself? And the most condemning revelation, Jesus knew Judas would soon betray him, yet He washed his feet too! What was that about? What is He teaching us? Does He expect me to serve those who are against me?

My nature moves me to ignore and avoid my adversary. My flesh screams for me to answer with rude speech and actions. But our Lord Jesus not only instructs, but demonstrates, that we are to love and serve those who would betray us. Why? In this story, showing love to the enemy did not change Judas. However, I believe that Jesus showed great strength of character through His incredible actions. This was a very peculiar thing to me. We are, after all, called to be a “peculiar people” I suppose!

How can you demonstrate the love of Christ to one who is obviously against you? Ask God to show you what you can do. You may not change that person, but you will become more Christ-like and I believe God will be honored.

Favorite Choral Anthems

This is a current list of my favorite choral anthems.  I am posting this for the worship leaders.  I will add to this list when I discover more worthy selections.  Please add your top recommendations so other worship pastors can benefit too!

MY FAVORITE CHOIR ANTHEMS

Title: Changed


Author: Paula Stefanovich


Arranger: Richard Kingsmore


Publisher: Lillenas Music

Title: Days of Elijah


Author: Robin Mark


Arranger: Richard Kingsmore


Publisher: Integrity Music

Title: Jerusalem


Author: Paula Stefanovich


Arranger: Camp Kirkland


Publisher: Prism Music

Title: Jesus to the World


Author: Mike Harland


Arranger: Richard Kingsmore


Publisher: Lifeway Music

Title: No More Night (From the Easter musical, Written In Red)


Author: Walt Harrah


Arranger: Robert Sterling, Camp Kirkland, Gary Rhodes & Russell Mauldin


Publisher: Word Music

Title: Revelation Song (from the collection Glorious Day)


Author: Jennie Lee Riddle


Arranger: Travis Cottrell


Publisher: Benson Music

Title: Thou, Oh Lord


Author: Lisa Ireland


Arranger: Bradley Knight


Publisher: Prism Music

Title: You Are Good


Author: Israel Houghton


Arranger: Lari Goss


Publisher: Word Music

Be silent...wait expectantly

Today I meditated on the first half of psalm 37:7

"Be silent before the LORD and wait expectantly for Him."

Have you ever attempted a dialogue with a person who spoke incessantly?  My  Grandpa Mooney would have responded to such person with a statement similar to the following.

"Would you hush?  I can't get in a word edge wise!"

"Wait silently before the LORD"  ...Maybe it's time to hush and allow the LORD to get in a word edge wise.  A few words of wisdom from Him are more beneficial to us than a thousand of our words.  We need to listen.

"Wait expectantly for Him"...We must expect God to actually do something when we pray.  A friend once told me that he once saw a photo of a group of farmers who gathered at the town square to pray for God to send rain to end a difficult drought.  He said, "You know, Eric.  Not one of them had an umbrella!"  Do we really expect God to answer our prayers?  If we only had the faith of a mustard seed!

"Father, I'm waiting for you.  Help me to remember to keep my mouth shut and expect to hear from You."

Under Construction

First Baptist Church Malakoff is an incredible church in which to serve. The people here are hungry for God's Word, obedient to the call, active in service, and follow the leadership team God has given them. One of these leaders is our Children's minister, Allison. One member who was caught the vision is Jim, who heads up our bus ministry. The bus ministry began through our block party emphasis and has resulted in incredible numerical growth in our children's department. This is a photo of land being cleared to make room for our new building for children's ministry. Unfortunately, there was a large oak tree and other obstacles in the center of our plans. We had no choice but to remove them so that we could make room for our new building.


In Jeremiah 29:11, God says, "For I know the plans that I have for you, plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." Just as our church had plans for the use of the land adjacent to our sanctuary, God has a plan for my life. And just as the field has trees, brush, and rocks that must be removed to be used for the purpose we have for it, my life has areas that must be cleared to be used by God for his purposes to be accomplished.

O God, remove all things that stand in the way of having your plan accomplished in my life! Strip away the vines that I have allowed to grow and uproot the biggest oak trees first! I know that this will look ugly and be painful at first, but I desire to be used by You to the fullest measure! You are the Master Designer and Architect of my life. From heaven's view, I can see that I am a field of potential for your service. I am field and only a field, Lord. So rake me, and remove all of the high places of pride. Have Your way in me, Sovereign Lord!!!

The Fall

It seems that man has had a fear of snakes since that day in the garden when serpent deceived Adam and Eve.  I had no choice but to sent this little devil to snaky heaven.  I am not a fan of snakes.  This one was destined to meet a terrible fate whether or not he was venomous.  This happens to be a dangerous copperhead, so good riddance to you.

God is omnipresent, part 2

While Kim was at a wedding shower, I chose to sacrifice my Sunday afternoon siesta. Instead I took my sons to the city park. Evan skated at the new skate park and Ethan I went on a nature hike through a wooded meadow. These are great opportunities to let God speak through His creation.

Did you know that God is into minimalist creation. Here is a photo I took with my Motorola Droid. It is a cluster of wild onion flowers. We were about to step on these tiny masterpiece, but instead opted to stoop down for a better look. Isn't it amazing that I was about to overlook such a masterpiece. Look at the incredible detail God went to in designing these beautiful weeds.

Then I saw some huff puffs. Oh, you know what huff puffs are don't you? That's the term my mother used for dandelion seeds. The symmetry is just fantastic. Why Walt Disney ingenious creativity could not have devised this thing!

I told Ethan to huff and puff and when he did, myriad seeds to flight. I told Ethan that God gave these seeds a natural parachute so that the seeds can spread all over the neighbor's yards. SSSHHHHH! Don't tell them we did this. And don't tell me that God doesn't care about details in nature.

God is omnipresent

One of the theological truths of God is that he is everywhere at all times or that He's omnipresent.  In the coming weeks, I'll share photos and scriptures that support that truth.

All I had to do today was look out my front door.  Here is a beautiful amaryllis in our flower bed.

"Loved With A Cross" 2010 Easter Musical

Thanks you, Keri, for putting this slide show together.